Celtic still chasing Mothatego

Bloemfontein Celtic is still interested in signing Gaborone United midfielder Jackie Mothatego. He was on trial at Celtic in January; he impressed their technical team but they are yet to make an official move for him.

 
Reliable sources say Celtic gave GU positive reviews about Mothatego’s trial. Jackie was one of numerous players on trial at the Bloemfontein based club during the January transfer window and while others were cut loose the Zebras midfielder was allowed to conclude his 20 day trial.

 
Celtic requested videos of the player to continue their assessment despite their glowing reviews about the player’s January trial. The Reds obliged and sent videos clips of Mothatego’s performances two months ago.

 
Moyagoleele are braced for a bid from Celtic during the next transfer window (in July).  Recently their South African counterparts had been sending them mixed signals, they indicated that their primary target is a midfielder who operates behind a lone striker, a position usually referred to as the number 10 role, as opposed to a central midfielder.
As a result GU were unsure about the prospect of exporting their midfielder to the Premier Soccer League (PSL). Gazette Sport has established that Moyagoleele were given assurances that Mothatego is still one of their transfer targets.

 
A GU official informed this reporter that Celtic are eager to sign Mothatego since they are still in regular contact with them. An e mail from Celtic notifying GU about the possibility of signing Mothatego was sent on Monday as assurance that a decision will be made soon.

 
“They have notified that they are looking for a midfielder who plays higher up the pitch. We understand that they are not looking for a ball playing kind of midfielder at the moment. However, we understand that the management wants a more attacking midfielder while the coach wants someone of Jackie’s calibre. They have promised to give us their final decision on Jackie in the upcoming months. We are patiently waiting for their final decision. All indications suggest that they will come back with an offer,” said the GU official.

 
Siwelele, as they are affectionately known, have been following Mothatego since last year and they had also enquired about winger Kgololo Kgogobi at one stage. Mothatego was deemed a more attractive option given his performances at national team level.

 
Celtic’s former coach, Clinton Larsen made several scouting trips to Botswana to run the ruler over GU’s star midfielder. The arrival of Ernst Middendorp threatened to derail the move but the club’s technical team was already aware of Mothatego potential and they convinced the German coach to invite him for a trial in January.
Meanwhile reports in South Africa state that the former Uniao Flamengo Santos player will definitely join Celtic in July.